Trampoline

ABSTRACT

A trampoline, which is constructed to yieldingly resist the downward force exerted thereon by the user, and in which the rebounding action is controlled and directed to prevent accidental outward displacement of the user from the bed of the trampoline during rebound. The trampoline of the invention has a generally rectangular frame, constructed to contract by inward flexing of the sides of the frame in response to the downward force exerted by the user on the bed, and to expand by outward flexing of the sides to provide a rebounding action tending to cause the user&#39;&#39;s body to move inwardly of the frame during rebound, whereby accidental displacement of the user outwardly beyond the frame is prevented. The frame is supported on U-shaped legs or support members which are shaped to yieldingly resist the contracting movement of the frame and to allow sagging movement of the frame in response to downward force exerted on the bed, whereby the directed rebounding action of the frame is augmented.

United States Patent Inventor Edward W. Rusell 6404 Denton Drive,Dallas, Tex. 75235 Appl. No. 814,654 Filed Apr. 9, 1969 Patented Feb. 9,1971 TRAMPOLINE 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[15. Cl 182/139, 5/1 10; 272/65 Int. Cl A63b 5/18 Field of Search182/139; 272/65; 5/1 10 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,370,9903/ 1945 Nissen 272/65 3/1954 Vernier 182/139X 2,858,551 11/1958Sidlinger 182/ 1 39X Primary Examiner-Kenneth Downey Attorney-Charles E.Lightfoot ABSTRACT: A trampoline, which is constructed to yieldinglyresist the downward force exerted thereon by the user, and in which therebounding action is controlled and directed to prevent accidentaloutward displacement of the user from the bed of the trampoline duringrebound. The trampoline of the invention has a generally rectangularframe, constructed'to contract by inward flexing of the sides of theframe in response to the downward force exerted by the user on the bed,and to expand by outward flexing of the sides to provide a reboundingaction tending to cause the user's body to move inwardly of the frameduring rebound, whereby accidental displacement of the user outwardlybeyond the frame is prevented. I

The frame is supported on U-shaped legs or support members which areshaped to yieldingly resist the contracting movement of the frame and toallow sagging movement of the frame in response to downward forceexerted on the bed, whereby the directed rebounding action of the frameis augmented.

PATENTEI] FEB 9 I971 Edward W Russell W VEN TOR A TTORNEV TRAMPOLINEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the construction of trampolines, asheretofore commonly carried out. it has been customary to form the frameof the trampoline of relatively heavy and rigid material, such as heavystructural shapes of angular cross sectional configuration, to provide aframe having extreme rigidity and strength, upon which a bed formed offlexible fabric is tightly stretched by means of numerous coil springs,to render the bed resilient to the downward force exerted thereon by theuser and to cause the bed to rebound to move the user's body upwardlytherewith. Such frames are usually supported on legs of maximum strengthand rigidity, which do not allow sagging or downward flexing of theframe in response to downward forces exerted on the bed.

In the use of trampolines constructed in this manner, the user oftendescends on the bed at a location away from the center of the frametoward one end or one side thereof, and at times is thrown ofl of thetrampoline by the rebounding action of the same. It has been discoveredthat in trampolines which are rigidly supported, the rebounding actiontends to direct the body of the user away from the center of the framerather than toward the same, and more particularly, when the userdescends at a location near one end of the frame where the end portionof the frame extends longitudinally beyond the legs of the same.

SUM MARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the trampoline of thepresent invention comprises a generally rectangular frame formed oftubular material and having rounded comers, within which a sheet fabricbed is resiliently supported by numerous coil springs, the frame beingconstructed to flex inwardly to yieldingly resist the inward pulltransmitted thereto by the coil springs, resulting from the downwardforce exerted by the user on the bed, and to flex outwardly to augmentthe rebounding of the bed, whereby the trampoline has a tendency todirect the user's body upwardly away from the sides of the frame,thereby preventing outward displacement of the user from the trampoline.

The frame is supported on generally U-shaped legs whose arms divergeupwardly from the bottom of the U, and are attached at their upper endsto the opposite sides of the frame for inward and outward flexingmovement therewith. The bottom of the U of each leg is also bowedupwardly mediate its end to further enhance the resiliency of the leg.

The legs are arranged in pairs spaced longitudinally from the middle ofthe sides of the frame and inwardly from the ends of the frame, the legsof each pair being spaced at the same distance apart, and the uprightarms of each pair diverging downwardly. By this arrangement, the frameand its supporting means is constructed to provide ample strength tosupport the bed while allowing flexing of the frame and sagging movementof the ends of the frame beyond the legs, to yieldingly resist thedownward force exerted on the bed by the user and to rebound in a mannertending to direct the user's body away from the sides or ends of thebed.

The frame of the trampoline is preferably fonned of round tubularmaterial, such as steel tubing, and the frame is formed with straightside pieces and with end pieces provided with curved end portions, andthe sides and ends are connected together by sections of tubing of asize to fit tightly within the ends of the side and end pieces tosecurely hold the same assembled.

The legs are of tubular construction, and are attached to the sidepieces of the frame by tubular sockets welded to the side pieces. Thelegs and sockets are secured together by sections of tubing of a size totightly fit within the socket and the upper end portions of the legs.

By this arrangement, the trampoline may be readily packaged in adisassembled condition and easily assembled for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspectiveview on a somewhat reduced scale, illustrating a preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the trampoline of the invention; I

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale. taken along theline 4-4 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PARTICULAR EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Thetrampoline of the invention, as illustrated herein, comprises agenerally rectangular frame, generally designated 10, formed of suitablematerial, such as steel tubing, and having rounded corners. The frame ispreferably formed of two elongated tubular side sections 12, which areconnected together in spaced apart, parallel relation by two endsections 14.

The side sections are each formed with inner and outer tubular parts I6and 18, of which the inner part 16 is somewhat longer than the outerpart and is extended through the outer part with end portions 20projecting substantially beyond the ends of the latter. The outsidediameter of the inner part is preferably of a size to closely fit theinside of the outer part, so that the parts are securely held togetherby friction when assembled and need no additional fastening means.

The parts are preferably formed of relatively thin walled material, suchas steel tubing, possessing great strength while at the same time beingsomewhat resilient, so that the side frame members are somewhat flexiblebut capable of resisting bending.

The end frame members 14 are also preferably formed of metal tubing ofthe same diameter as that of the outer side sections and are formed withcurved end portions 22 forming the rounded comers of the frame and whichare fitted onto the projecting end portions 20 of the inner parts of theside frame sections, when the frame is assembled.

The frame of the trampoline is supported on inner and outer legs 24 and26, respectively, arranged in two sets, and of which the legs of eachset converge downwardly. The legs are preferably of generally U-shape,fomred of tubular material,

such as that of the frame sections, and of the same size as the latter,each leg being formed in one piece with upwardly bent end portions 28and having a ground engaging, horizontal portion 30 which is upwardlycurved mediate its ends. The upright portions 28 of the legs preferablydiverge upwardly as best shown in FIG. 3. The legs are connected to theframe by downwardly extending tubular sockets 32, preferably of the samediameter as the legs, and which are conveniently attached to the frame,as by means of welding at their upper ends. The sockets 32 extenddownwardly at an angle to the vertical such that the upwardly bentportions of adjacent ones of the legs 24 and 26 converge downwardly,while the upwardly bent portions of the legs 24 are downwardlydivergent, as shown in FIG. 2.

The upwardly extending portions 28 of the legs are secured to thesockets 32 by means of inner tubular elements 34 extending into theabutting ends of the sockets and legs and tightly fitted therein.

The sets or pairs of legs may be suitably spaced apart, depending uponthe length of the frame, the legs of each set being spaced at the samedistance apart.

The frame is provided with the usual rectangular bed 36 formed ofsuitable flexible sheet material, attached to the frame in the usualmanner as by means of coil springs 38 along all sides, and the framemaybeprovided with the usual padded sides 40 overlying the sides andends of the frame and attached thereto. Each of the legs may be providedwith longitudinally spaced apart, annular ground engaging elements 42positioned on the bottom of the U.

The ends .of the frame extend beyond the outermost of the legs 26 toprovide free end portions which are sometimes constructed, is somewhatflexible, the side and end sections of 5 the frame being capable offlexing inwardly in response to the downward force exerted by auserjumping on the bed 36, and of springing back outwardly to augmentthe rebounding of the bed. Moreover, due to the positioning of the legs24 and 26, they may flex in response to the downward force exerted onthe bed allowing the frame to sag somewhat and causing the frame torebound in use.

In the use of the trampoline, the user may stand on the bed 36 and jumpupwardly therefrom in the usual manner, whereupon as the user descendson the bed, the springs 38 will be stretched to allow sagging of thebed. The increased tension on the springs will then arrest the downwardmovement of the user and the subsequent rebound will throw the userupwardly.

The yielding resistance of the springs 38 against the downward movementof the user on the bed 40 is augmented by the inward flexing of thesides and ends of the frame and by the inward flexing movement of theupwardly extending por tions 28 of the legs 24 and 26, so that thetrampoline has a greatly improved sagging and rebounding action, ascompared with a trampoline of usual construction having rigid frame andleg structure.

In the event that the user comes down ofl'center on a portion of the bednear one end, or one side of the frame, the force exerted will betransmitted throughout the frame and legs more or less uniformly by theflexing and sagging action thereof, and the rebounding action will tendto throw the user inwardly toward the center of the bed rather thanoutwardly as often occurs in the use of a rigid frame and leg structure.

It will be evident that by selecting the size of the tubing employed inthe sides and ends of the frame and in the construction of the legs, awell as the spacing and angling of the legs, and the extent of theinward, downward convergence of the upturned portions 28 thereof, thetrampoline may be given predetermined flexing and saggingcharacteristics most desirable for the size of frame which is to beused.

Due to the tubular construction of the frame and legs, and thetelescoping connection of the parts, the trampoline may be readilypackaged in a knocked down condition and is easily as sernbled for use.

It will thus be seen that the invention, constructed as above, providesa trampoline which is of simple design and rugged construction, havinggreatly improved features of safety to the user, while at the same timeproviding ample support and flexibility to cause an upward and inwardmovement of the user's body on rebound to prevent displacement of theuser outwardly from the trampoline.

I claim:

1. In a trampoline:

a generally rectangular frame formed of tubular material whose sides andends are capable of inward and outward flexing movements;

a trampoline bed within and connected to the sides and ends of the frameby a plurality of spaced resilient connectors each under tension tocause the sides and ends to flex inwardly upon the exertion of adownward force on the' bed by the downward movement of an acrobatthereon and outwardly upon upward movement of the acrobat with the bed;and

longitudinally spaced apart pairs of longitudinally spaced U- shapedlegs extending laterally across the frame and whose arms are capable offlexing toward and away from each other and are connected at their upperends to the sides of the frame at locations spaced longitudinallyinwardly from the ends of an outwardly from the midpoints of the sidesfor flexing movement in response to flexing of the sides, the arms ofadjacent ones of the legs of said pairs diverging downwardly and thearms of remote ones of the legs of said pairs converging downwardly andsaid legs being spaced apart at their lower ends longitudinally I of thesides of the frame.

2. The trampoline as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sides of said frameare capable of flexing vertically and the arms of said legs are disposedat angles to the vertical in planes parallel to the sides of the frameto cause the arms to flex in said planes in response to verticalmovements of the ends of the frame.

3. In a trampoline:

a generally rectangular frame formed of tubular material whose sides andends are capable of inward and outward flexing movements;

said sides being each formed of inner and outer tubular part;

the inner part extending through and beyond the ends of and beingtightly fitted into the outer part;

said ends being each formed of tubular material of the same internaldiameter as said outerpart and having curved end portions positioned tofonn the comers of the frame and into which the end portions of saidinner parts of the sides may be telescopingly extended to connect thesides to said ends;

a trampoline bed within and connected to the sides and ends of the frameby a plurality of spaced resilient connectors each under tension tocause the sides and ends to flex inwardly upon the exertion of adownward force on the bed by the downward movement of an acrobat thereonand outwardly upon upward movement of the acrobat with the bed; and

longitudinally spaced apart tubular support means of generally U-shapeextending laterally across the frame and whose arms are capable offlexing toward and away from each other and are'connected at their upperends to the sides of the frame at locations spaced longitudinallyinwardly from the ends of and outwardly from the mid points of the sidesfor flexing movement in response to flexing of the sides.

1. In a trampoline: a generally rectangular frame formed of tubularmaterial whose sides and ends are capable of inward and outward flexingmovements; a trampoline bed within and connected to the sides and endsof the frame by a plurality of spaced resilient connectors each undertension to cause the sides and ends to flex inwardly upon the exertionof a downward force on the bed by the downward movement of an acrobatthereon and outwardly upon upward movement of the acrobat with the bed;and longitudinally spaced apart pairs of longitudinally spaced Ushapedlegs extending laterally across the frame and whose arms are capable offlexing toward and away from each other and are connected at their upperends to the sides of the frame at locations spaced longitudinallyinwardly from the ends of an outwardly from the midpoints of the sidesfor flexing movement in response to flexing of the sides, the arms ofadjacent ones of the legs of said pairs diverging downwardly and thearms of remote ones of the legs of said pairs converging downwardly andsaid legs being spaced apart at their lower ends longitudinally of thesides of the frame.
 2. The trampoline as claimed in claim 1 wherein thesides of said frame are capable of flexing vertically and the arms ofsaid legs are disposed at angles to the vertical in planes parallel tothe sides of the frame to cause the arms to flex in said planes inresponse to vertical movements of the ends of the frame.
 3. In atrampoline: a generally rectangular frame formed of tubular materialwhose sides and ends are capable of inward and outward flexingmovements; said sides being each formed of inner and outer tubular part;the inner part extending through and beyond the ends of and beingtightly fitted into the outer part; said ends being each formed oftubular material of the same internal diameter as said outer part andhaving curved end portions positioned to form the corners of the frameand into which the end portions of said inner parts of the sides may betelescopingly extended to connect the sides to said ends; a trampolinebed within and connected to the sides and ends of the frame by aplurality of spaced resilient connectors each under tension to cause thesides and ends to flex inwardly upon the exertion of a downward force onthe bed by the downward movement of an acrobat thereon and outwardlyupon upward movement of the acrobat with the bed; and longitudinallyspaced apart tubular support means of generally U-shape extendinglaterally across the frame and whose arms are capable of flexing towardand away from each other and are connected at their upper ends to thesides of the frame at locations spaced longitudinally inwardly from theends of and outwardly from the midpoints of the sides for flexingmovement in response to flexing of the sides.